Denmark's Rasmussen banned two years for doping

Denmark's Michael Rasmussen, who was thrown out while leading the 2007 Tour de France for lying about his whereabouts, has been banned for two years by the Monaco cycling federation (FMC), the sport's world governing body UCI said on Tuesday.

Rasmussen was thrown off the race on July 25 by his Rabobank team while wearing the leader's yellow jersey for lying about his whereabouts the previous month when he was being sought out for doping tests.

A UCI spokesman said the UCI had received notification of the ban from the Monaco federation, with whom Rasmussen has a licence, during the day Tuesday.

The ban will run from the date of his exclusion of last year's Tour and hence will run till July 25 2009.

The FMC president Daniel Bottero told AFP last Thursday he had the same day given his recommendations to the FMC's board, a month after meeting Rasmussen on May 28.

The FMC had always intended to make their ruling before the start of the July 5 to 27 Tour de France.

The 34-year-old Rasmussen had been told before the start of the 2007 Tour that he had missed several random doping tests, to which he then owned up.

According to UCI rules, riders are punished for three errors in whereabouts in an 18-month period, and Rasmussen was handed the maximum penalty of a two-year ban.

The Danish rider, who has been without a team since the 2007 Tour, has started proceedings against Rabobank for unlawful dismissal.